Top 10 sports figures to hit rock bottom

By: VANESSA GATES, QMI Agency In an instant, sports figures at the pinnacle of their careers can come crashing down to rock bottom. All it takes is a scandal. The following 10 sports figures have succumbed to certain temptations -- either to better their career, their lifestyles or just out of selfishness -- and have ended up tainting their reputations.

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ZINEDINE ZIDANE In the eyes of many, Zinedine Zidane was seen as one of the greatest soccer players of his time. But during the 2006 World Cup, Zidane intentionally head-butted Italy's Marco Materazzi for allegedly making fun of the Frenchman's sister. He was issued a red card and was not allowed to partake in the penalty shoot, which Italy won. This was Zidane's last game as he retired from soccer soon after. Instead of serving the three-game suspension for his red card, Zidane did three days of community service. (REUTERS/Peter Schols/GPD/Handout)

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JOE PATERNO Joe Paterno gave most of his life to the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. Serving 62 years as part of the coaching staff (46 years as head coach), he recently became the winningest coach in Division I college football with 409 victories, and wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. But Paterno's career and squeaky-clean image crumbled after the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. While "JoePa" isn't held responsible for the abuse of eight young boys, he has come under criticism for not advising the police and for putting the university's image ahead of a child's safety. Because of numerous complaints, Paterno announced he was retiring after the end of the Nittany Lions season, but a night after his announcement was made, he was fired. (REUTERS/Jeff Haynes)

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FLOYD LANDIS After placing first in the 2006 Tour de France, cyclist Floyd Landis tested positive for an unusually high ratio of testosterone and was stripped of his title. He was found guilty of doping in 2007 and banned from racing for two years. Landis returned to cycling in 2010 but, before the Tour de France that year, he admitted to doping. After the admission, he was unable to find a team and thus was forced into retirement. More recently, Landis was found guilty of coming up with a plan to hack into the computers at an anti-doping lab, which found the abnormal levels of testosterone in his urine sample back in 2006. Landis was given a one-year suspended jail sentence. (REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini)

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BRETT FAVRE Brett Favre has many accomplishments under his belt. He is the only quarterback in the National Football League to throw for more than 70,000 yards and 500 touchdowns. He is also the only player to receive the MVP award three consecutive years. And to think, if he hadn't come out of retirement to play with the New York Jets, he would have maintained his heroic image and wouldn't have had to deal with the sexting allegations from Jenn Sterger -- at least we don't think so. (REUTERS)

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BARRY BONDS Late in his career, Barry Bonds was breaking records left right and centre. He was seen as a force to be reckoned with. But after the BALCO steroid scandal emerged, all of his "accomplishments" came into question. At first Bonds denied ever using anabolic steroids, but he was no longer the sought-after player he once was, so he ended up out of baseball. Eventually he was charged with perjury and was found guilty in April 2011 of obstruction of justice. No jail time was served and Bonds' baseball records still stand. (REUTERS/Stephen Lam)

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PETE ROSE During his time as an MLB player, Pete Rose was a superstar in his own right. The former switch-hitter earned (and still maintains) the record for the most hits with 4,256. He also has three World Series rings and one MVP award. He would have been a shoo-in for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but Rose was deemed permanently ineligible for induction after he was involved in a gambling scandal. After initially denying allegations, Rose finally admitted to gambling on baseball games but said he never bet against his team, the Cincinnati Reds. In 2009 rumours spread that MLB commissioner Bud Selig was reconsidering lifting the suspension, but days later Selig refuted the speculation and said Rose would be suspended for Hall eligibility indefinitely. (Nikki Nelson/WENN.com)

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BEN JOHNSON Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson had both the highlight and lowlight of his career within a matter of days. Johnson defeated American Carl Lewis in the 100-metre final at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Not only did he win gold but he set a record at 9.79 seconds. Johnson's medal and record were revoked after he tested positive for steroids just a few days later. Johnson has participated in several other competitions and has won a few -- until he was again found guilty of doping in Montreal in 1993. In 2006, Johnson appeared in the Cheetah Power Surge Energy drink commercial ironically using the slogan "I cheetah all the time." (ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)

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MIKE TYSON From his convictions of rape to biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's right ear, Mike Tyson went from being the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world to bankruptcy protection. Tyson has since kept himself busy with other things, such as his TV show about his pigeons and making cameo appearances in the Hangover movies. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

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TIGER WOODS By now, everyone knows what Tiger Woods did. The women, the texts, the confession -- Woods' life hasn't been the same since Thanksgiving 2009, and neither has his game. Following the sex scandal, Woods went from the world's best golfer, to not even making it in the top 50 in 2011. He has, however, made some improvements. At the Australian Open he came in second only to Greg Chalmers. (REUTERS/Matt Sullivan)

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O.J. SIMPSON Many have forgotten The Juice's great career as an NFL football player (becoming the first player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season), and as a Hollywood actor. They're more likely to remember the allegations against him for murdering his wife Nicole Brown, and more recently the Las Vegas kidnapping and robbery that took place in 2007. Simpson is now sitting in jail and will for another eight years (serving a nine-year sentence) and it's probably safe to say his acting career will never be resurrected. (REUTERS/Issac Brekken)